Happy Old Year/ Happy New Year

Every year I try to get this done by Jan. 1 and every year I end up failing. December is such a hectic month that I don't really have time to sit and reflect until after it's over. Also, I like setting goals for the next year at the same time as I review what worked and what didn't the year before. So I've decided to get the retrospective and the goals done by Chinese New Year instead. It's nice to have the month of January to ponder and reflect, and plot out what's to come.

Before I dig into the questions (many of which will have vague answers), here's my brief thoughts on the year.

2012 was largely positive for me. At the same time, I feel like I spent most of the year in a daze. (I still feel in a daze.) The first half of the year I did a lot of biting off more than I could chew. It was a habit from the year before, where that was the only way get myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other and not fall into a funk and do nothing but watch useless TV and/or play Civ III. Stopping that habit has proven to be... mixed. I spent the first half of the year taking classes (networking -- highly technical, but still fun), getting up to speed in a new job, and helping friends through family issues. I came back from vacation in May and my brain said "I'm done." I somehow managed to muddle through another month of academics, but then I really was done. I feel like since then I haven't managed to find motivation or energy to do much of anything beyond the routine. It's deeply frustrating, but I'm having trouble changing things, thanks to not having any motivation or energy.

On the up side, I've loved my job this year. I've been working with a great group of people in exactly the area of exactly the company that I wanted. It's been nice being in a more positive environment, and I have really appreciated all the kudos I get from my team. I have a roommate now, who is perfect. It's a lot like living with a clone of myself, only not annoying. (Face it, a real clone of myself would be deeply annoying.) Thanks to having a roommate, I finally got off my duff and repainted the Goth Boudoir, so that room is now a pleasant shade of pale yellow, rather than a lurid combination of burgandy and... I don't entirely know how to describe it. It was a slightly greenish midnight blue. Not the best color combination for that room.

I want to say more about the year, but I just can't really remember anything in particular about it. It was mostly calm and mostly fortunate, and that's about all that stood out for me.

I'm chopping out questions I don't care about. There's no reason to leave them in.

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?

Huh, good question. I guess technically I became a Unix/Linux sysadmin. I barely know what I'm doing, and yet here I am. The team lead for the Unix QA group decided I would be worth investing some time in training.

Ah! I know what I did do for the first time: I saw the space shuttle! I've been wanting to see it in person since I was 10, so that is kind of a big deal. I decided that I'm an hourly worker, so if I want to take a couple of hours and go watch the shuttle fly by, I can. And so I did. It was awesome.

I also learned how to set up routers and switches, which I didn't know I'd enjoy, but I did.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't know that I made resolutions last year. *looks* Nope, can't find a record. I think my main resolution was to get 8 or more hours' sleep a night most of the time, and that I did manage.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Why, yes. Two couples I know got new additions to their families, one couple with twins, and one with their first.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yeah, Bob. Not so many folks this year, but closer to home.

5. What countries did you visit?

Japan. Boring.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

More stability. Job has been up in the air for months now, and I'm a bit done with that.

7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

February 8. See #4.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Uh... I finished two networking classes, achieving an A in both, while starting a new job and dealing with some upset in my personal life.

I'm pretty pleased about getting some mileage under my belt as a Unix/Linux sysadmin.

Getting that room painted was a big happiness.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Huh. Not feeling failure-y on the year, really. I guess I'm disappointed that I didn't set down a book of the month and keep to that. I wish I'd gotten more done on the garden. And I wish I'd done more translating. Not sure I bother counting any of those as failures.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing worth noting.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I dunno... Christmas lights? Oh, the ability to see without glasses. That was pretty pricey. Still need reading glasses, though.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Lasik.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

SDCC? We got a really good room, this year.

I was excited about Revolution, but it hasn't gone as well as I expected.

I'm pretty pleased on the roommate. Not sure if that counts as excited. It's nice having someone around again, and it's great that she and I get along so well. It's fun having a roommate with so many common interests.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?

"Gagnam Style", just 'cause it's been played so much.

"Make This Place Your Home", because they played it a lot during the women's gymnastics at the Olympics

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? Huh, hard to say. About the same?

ii. thinner or fatter? Ugh, fatter.

iii. richer or poorer? Yay, richer. So I guess it all averages out?

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Translating.

I wish I were farther along on my studying. I still have a bit of work to finish off studying for one certification, and the other one I feel like I'm starting all over again.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Not sure. I've been better about not wasting a lot of time on things I could care less about.

The Merlin finale was particularly good. Though techincally I saw it in 2013, since I didn't realize when they aired the last episode.

26. What was the best book you read?

I think I didn't do a lot of reading this year. I enjoyed Rick Riordan's Son of Neptune. Other than that, can't currently remember what I did read. Oh, I think I did finish up Sacred Koyasan this year, which was lovely.

28. What did you want and get?

Uh, a lot of sleep?

Oh! A roommate who I could live with. Pretty pleased about that one. (Yeah, I guess I've said that already.)

29. What did you want and not get?

A permanent job.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Avengers? I think that was about the only film I saw in 2012.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Lunch with my parents, my best friend, and my roommate. Put up Christmas lights. Then dinner with my mom and my roommate. It was lovely and mellow.

34. What kept you sane?

My coworkers. :) Game, as always.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Roommate, definitely. Some of the new folks at work.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:

Hm, not feeling the wisdom here. The trade-off for living in perfectly average times is that there's less volume of the "ah-ha!" moments. For now, I can certainly live with that.

January: When oh when are they going to get all the approvals through so I can start working. At least I have some time to study. And help friends with bad news.

February: New job. Help friends. Study. Sleep. *thud*

March: No one will ever tell obsessivewoman and I to make deserts ever again. Or at least they will be wise enough to put a limit on it. Work, study, bake, sleep. Work, study, bake, sleep. Work, study, bake, *thud*

April: Vacation. Finally.

May: I really have no brain. Or recollection, for that matter. But certainly no brain.

June: Fried. I make jam. And really tasty plum sauce.

July: Cute new yukata for obon! And then Comic Con!

August: This room will be painted, I so swear. Also, coworkers gawk: "She swore at work! She's one of us now, yay!" *sweatdrop*

September: I truly have no recollection of this month. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

October: Reorg at work. Less than fun.

November: Ongoing lack of fun with reorg. Surely there is more to my life than work. I know not what.

December: I go mad with Christmas lights. There was a bit of baking as well. Otherwise, I can't remember much of the month. It was only last month; this is sad.